Dangerous Path
by Deuce's Accident
Summary: After a hard case Dean has started down a road Carter and Ty thought he had left behind. Will Aiden be enough to save him from himself this time? Dean/OC. Rating for future language and drug use.


**Disclosure: **_I do not own the characters of Dark Blue and this story is meant to entertainment purposes only; Aiden though is mine._

_This is another story I started a while ago and am at a loss of where to go from here, thoughts and comments welcome. Thanks for reading! ~ Deuce_

Dean's head was spinning when he left the bar; he had had a shitty day and getting completely wasted sounded like a perfect idea, that was until he realized how truly hammered he was, there was no way he could drive. Staring at his truck he sighed as he leaned against the brick wall and slid down to the ground. He pulled out his cell phone drunkenly and hit his speed dial button number one. A groan was heard before a voice was, "Dean? What the hell brother, its two in the morning," Ty said incoherently. Dean snorted at his partners' words, "Are you drunk?" Ty asked when Dean just giggled at his friends words.

"Little bit," he slurred closing his eyes.

"Shit Dean, where are you?" the detective asked. When Dean didn't answer him he got a little nervous. "Dean! Hey partner, wake up, stay awake Dean!" he yelled into the phone jolting both Dean and Melissa awake.

Melissa looked at her husband with concern, "What's going on Ty?" she asked tiredly before looking at the clock.

"Dean's drunk baby, just go back to sleep. I'm gonna go pick him up," he told her before trying to get Dean to tell him where he was. "Come on Danger, tell me where I can pick you up."

The younger man just laughed again, "Don't remember," he mumbled before he dropped his phone completely passed out.

"Damn it Dean," Ty growled as he headed over to his computer to put a trace on Dean's cell. "I'll be back babe," Ty told his wife before he grabbed a pair of warm up pants and a hoodie.

"He's got to stop doing this," Melissa said angrily.

"It was a pretty messed up case Lissa, give him a break, Dean's just trying to deal with it any way he can. We all take it hard when a kid gets hurt and this time we lost three. He feels responsible. Look I'll be back." Melissa felt terrible about being angry with Dean; he had only called Ty a few times over the past few months to pick him up. She kissed her husband goodbye and headed back to bed. Dean wasn't far from the loft according to the locator in Ty's truck so he was there in about twenty minutes. First Ty took a look inside bar but the bartender said that she saw him head out almost an hour before. "Damn it Dean, where are you?" he growled to himself as he left the bar.

"Um… Are you looking for someone?" a young waitress asked as she came around the corner and ran into Ty.

"Yeah, my buddy called me, pretty smashed, can't find him though."

She smiled, "Shaved head, bad boy charm and a killer smile?" the blonde girl asked biting her lip in embarrassment.

The man laughed, "The hair cut sure but the rest is questionable. Have you seen him?" The girl nodded and directed Ty to his partner who was passed out against the wall around by the staff entrance of the bar. Ty ran quickly and tried to wake his friend as well as make sure the younger man wasn't missing his off duty weapon, "Dean, come on buddy," Ty said as he slapped his friend in the face as he continued to search for Dean's gun and was more than relieved when he found it in the back of Dean's pants at the exact moment his buddy decide to rejoin the land of the living.

"Ow, dude personal space," the younger man growled pushing away his friend drunkenly.

Ty laughed, "Wow, come on partner, let's get you up," he said pulling Dean to his feet. The drunk man swayed dangerously to his left and Ty struggled to keep them both upright. "Whoa brother, steady," Ty said as he lead them in the direction of his truck. It took them almost twenty minutes to make it to the car since Dean was so hammered he kept having to stop to dry heave. "Alcohol poisoning or not, you puke in my truck you're paying to detail it," Ty threatened as he buckled Dean into a seat.

Dean muttered something in his drunken stupor and drifted off into unconsciousness again. Ty decided that his place was too far, plus he wasn't up for taking care of his drunken friend so he turned the corner and headed toward the person who deserved to see this most since there was no way Dean could be on his own tonight. Ty positioned Dean carefully against the door frame and pounded until the older man answered the door about forty minutes after they left the bar. "What the hell Ty!" he growled but Ty just smirked.

"I picked his ass up; you get to handle it this time. Its your turn," he said before he shoved Dean at his boss and walked back to his truck.

Carter stood there completely shock as he looked at the young man he was holding up. "I'm gonna be sick," Dean moaned before he threw up all over Carters pajama pants and bare feet.

"Great," Carter muttered as he held the young man up and patted his back as Dean continued to empty his stomach contents on the front porch as Ty waved from his car with a smile before driving away. Dean moaned before he stood up slowly and swayed again before Carter caught him, "All right easy kiddo," the older man said as he steadied his protégé.

Dean looked up at his boss, "Sorry," he whispered.

The LAPD Lieutenant sighed, "It's okay buddy, come on, let's get you and I cleaned up and back into a real bed," he said as he patted Dean gently on the back and helped him into the house. Dean had been on a tough case, where children had been kidnapped and when the ransom was not paid they were murdered; he had been sleeping in a dirty warehouse on a cot for almost three weeks as part of his cover guarding them. Once inside, the Lieutenant guided Dean to the bathroom for a shower as his daughter came out of her room.

"What did he do this time?" Aiden asked as she leaned against the wall.

"Nothing honey, it was just a really tough case. Dean just needs…"

The brunette beauty shook her head, "Go clean up Daddy, I got him," she said as she slipped past him and into the bathroom with Dean who was throwing up in the bathtub. Carter had remodeled the house a few months back and had put the toilet in a closed off area with a big Jacuzzi tub and glass encased shower with stone walls, Dean had done a lot of the work on the shower and tub so he knew where everything was or in this case how far each was. "What the toilet was too far?' she grouched to herself as she slid in behind her father's number one. "Always with the dramatics, huh Danger," she teased as she gently rubbed circles on his back.

"Bite me princess," he growled as he pushed her away. "I don't need your help," he growled.

Aiden laughed at her ex-boyfriend, "Yeah, because you're doing super without it." Dean closed his eyes and turned his back on her while he leaned against the tub as Aiden turned on the water to rinse it out and disposing of his mess. "What you decide that liquids were the only food group today?" she lectured when she noticed there was no food in the vomit, just liquor.

Carter was standing at the doorway surveying the scene, "Play nice," he warned them both. Both brunettes glared at him but Aiden's was much more angry, "Aiden," Carter started to say but she cut him off and frowned at her ex.

"I'll get you some clean clothes, take a shower, sober up a little," Aiden said as she passed them both. Dean glared at her but Aiden ignored him and threw a towel at his head. "I'll make you some coffee, because you sure as hell aren't staying here," she said sternly before she left her father and his protégé alone as Dean made another dive for the tub to throw up again.

"Well, I see you two still haven't made up," Carter teased. Dean finished up and scowled at the mess he had made before turning on the tap. "Get cleaned up, I'll go talk to Aiden," he told him.

The younger man did as he was told and shut the door before getting undressed and stepping into the shower dizzily. He stood under the hot spray for a few moments before his stomach decided to expel the remaining alcohol in his belly. Leaning his right forearm against the wall he continued to throw up with his head resting on the arm and his other hand on his stomach until he heard a knock at the door, "Dean?" he heard Aiden call out. The nurse in her was taking over, Dean was taking too long to clean up and it made her nervous. He heard her but he couldn't respond due to the dry heaves but he started to feel better when the door opened. The next thing he knew the shower door was open and Aiden was leaning in to check on him. "Just relax and it will pass," she said trying to make him calm down while she readjusted the spray so Dean didn't drown while he was trying to calm down.

After what felt like an eternity Dean stopped dry heaving, "Thanks," he moaned as he continued to stand there with an arm on the wall and his head leaning against it. "You're getting all wet," he said when he opened his eyes.

"I'll be fine, you sure you're all right to finish?" she asked him with concern etched in her beautiful features. Dean nodded and continued to focus on his breathing, "Okay, I'm going to go change, hurry up, you're making Daddy nervous," she said before leaving him alone again.

Ten minutes later, Dean joined Aiden and Carter in the entertainment room; "You doing any better?" Carter asked him as the younger man collapsed on the sofa across from them in his old Georgetown hoodie and warm up pants that Aiden had stolen after their break up and threw his arm over his eyes and the other over his stomach. The young man nodded his head and let out a deep breath. Both of the Shaw's were watching him closely, "I'm going to go make up the extra room," Carter said trying to escape what he knew was going to become a yelling match between his protégé and his daughter.

"I already did it," Aiden said as she sipped her coffee. "You may go hide though," she said sarcastically, "This won't take long."

Carter smirked and headed back to bed while Dean groaned at her words. "Aid…" he started but she cut him off by throwing a pillow at him.

"Damn it Dean! You know better, I swear sometimes I wonder if your brain and your spinal cord are connected at all!" she yelled before setting her coffee down and leaning her elbows on her knees. "What were you thinking, you could have given yourself alcohol poisoning! Christ, are you really that stupid?" she lectured. "I mean I knew you were suicidal but this is pushing it! Thrill seeking is one thing but drinking yourself into unconsciousness is just stupid, really Dean what is wrong with you?" she shouted.

Dean moaned as his head pounded harder with every word she said. "I was thinking I need to chill out. I spent 4 weeks under and…" he said trailing off. Aiden was concerned, her father had said that Dean had gone back under pretty quick after the last case but she had only ever seen him this bad after his sister's death. "Those kids, god…" he said sitting up and looking at her with pure agony in his eyes, he was hurting and here she was giving him a lecture on the possibility of alcohol poisoning.

"Dean, tell me what happened," she said coming to sit next to him on the sofa. He shook his head no and pulled away from her touch, "Why not? You can tell me anything," she told him as she reached of his hand.

The young detective pulled away from her touch and shook his head more adamantly, "Because I can't, its against the rules. My case, my mistake, my box," he said sullenly. Aiden nodded and put a comforting hand on her ex-lovers back. Dean had explained to her once before that anything that happened on the job was off limits and that when bad things happen you have put it in a box in your head and push it out of the way, because you'll have plenty of time to look at it later. "Stop," he said venomously before he pulled away again.

"Stop what? Touching you? Damn it Dean I'm trying to help you. You've obviously been through something and you need someone to at least try to help you make it better," she snapped back.

Dean shook his head again before putting it in his hands, "Being nice to me, I don't deserve it; especially after what I did to you," he said quietly. Aiden could tell that he was breaking, Dean never felt guilty unless he had really been in the wrong and what he was referring to now was a product of his drunken state.

She shook her head, "No, you don't get to do that, you did nothing but do your job Dean. If I had known you were that far under I wouldn't have been so awful about the lies and cheating but you never told me you joined my father's team. I understand it, but that doesn't mean all is forgiven," she said honestly. "But no matter what happened, you're my friend and I hate to see you do this to yourself. You cannot always be in control Dean; sometimes everyone needs a little help."

"Aid…Please…" he begged pulling away again.

"All right, your box, I got it. Come one, you need to rest; I promise everything will look better in the morning," she said pulling away from him with her hands up. Dean sighed and then nodded before standing up and heading toward the door. "No, no, Dean," she said stopping him.

"Thought you wanted me to leave," he said quietly.

She sighed and shook her head, "You need rest Dean, come on, the rooms all set up. Now you're gonna stay here and you're going to get some rest. We'll have breakfast in the morning and you'll feel a lot better."

Dean nodded and followed her through the hall and into the room. No matter how many times he stayed in that room her couldn't help but feel out of place. "Thanks, I'll be out of your way first thing," he said before he lay down on the bed. Aiden shook her head and walked over to the bed and tucked him in; she waited until he shut his eyes because the instant that he did he was down for the count, that was the most consistent thing about him, his ability to crash whenever he had the opportunity.

Drunk or not the young UC was exhausted, "Sleep well Dean," she said sweetly before leaving him to get the rest he needs.

The next morning Dean was up and gone before anyone else in the house. "He was gone before daybreak," Carter said as Aiden came looking for him holding her ex boyfriends sweatshirt.

"You can't put him back under yet Dad. He's a mess; all the times that he's come back to me, never has he looked so broken; something isn't right. I'm asking you please Daddy; help him," she said as she sat down on the sofa.

"I'll talk to him baby, but Dean is a big boy and he can make his own decisions. Now I'm going to head into the office; I'll call you before I head home, we'll get food from that little Indian place you like," Carter said before he kissed her head and walked out to the garage. Aiden sank into the cushions of the sofa and pulled the hoodie close cried into it.

Across town at the command center Jamie and Ty were writing up their final reports when Carter came in. "Where's Danger?" Ty teased his boss.

"Good question, he was gone before daybreak. Thought he may have turned up by now," Carter said as he sipped his coffee.

Jamie was completely confused, "I'm lost, what is going on? Who's Danger?" she asked. They all heard a door slam and a sadistic laugh echo as Dean entered the main room before Jamie asked again, "Who is Danger?" she asked again.

Dean looked haggard with dark shadows under his eyes, "Me," he said with a chuckle.

She looked at them a little confused but decided it was probably smarter to let the subject go since the look on Carter and Ty's faces were a little unsettling. "Where have you been hiding?" Carter asked as he looked over the young man.

"Around," Dean said with a manic laugh as he circled his boss several times; never taking his eyes off the older man. Dean's behavior was making Carter nervous, it was like he was a completely different person, but familiar, yet he couldn't place it quite yet.

"You feeling okay partner?" Ty asked trying to get Dean's attention away from Carter. Dean shifted his gaze to the other man, tilting his head to the right and smirking, he looked at Ty with a darkness in his eyes that neither Carter or Ty had seen in a long time. "Whoa, partner, you're walking down a dangerous path," Ty said when he realized that his friend was high; something he hadn't been in almost a year.

Dean's smirk turned into full blown toothy grin, "You have no idea," he said sarcastically.

It took a minute for Carter to catch up to what Ty was getting at, "What did you take Dean?" Carter asked his UC.

"Little of this, little of that," he tormented with a sickening smirk.

Carter was nervous, he had never truly been afraid of Dean except for when he was using and right now if he was high he was capable of anything. "Dean let's talk about this," Carter said calmly.

A laughed was emitted from Dean as he began to circle the room, "Dean's not here right now," the young man joked.

"So Danger's taken back over now, is that it?" Ty said sarcastically.

"Something like that," Dean said sardonically.

Jamie was afraid of the man she thought she could possible love. "Well then, Danger, how about we go take a ride over to County and you go through a 24hour detox," Carter said.

The young man laughed at his boss, "Pass."

"Excuse me?" Carter said sternly. He may have been shaken by Dean's behavior at first but he knew what he needed to do and he was prepared to do it. "Get in the damn car right now. You're going." All eyes were on Dean as he turned quickly to face Carter, his entire body vibrating with anger.

"Dean…" Ty said with warning.

"Is that an order?" the young detective asked viciously.

Carter smirked, "Think of it as more of a friendly request."


End file.
